Method of making leather cases



Dec. 25, 1928. 1,696,788

AC. G. ALDRICH Patented Dec. 25, 1928.

UNITED* STATES CARL G. ALDRICH, 0F MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF MAKING LEATHER CASES.

appucatin mea may 5,

My invention relates to a method of making leather cases or containerssuch, for eX- ample as are provided and used for holding eyeglasses andvspectacles, and particularly toeyeglass cases of that type which madefrom one piece of pliable leather having one end portion folded backonto the body portion and stitched thereto along its side edges to forma pouch, the opposite end portion providingr a flap to be folded back ordown onto the first end portion to serve as a closure. Ordinarily cases`of this type are provided with a snap fast-ener for securing the flap inits closed position.

My invention has for its `object to provide an improved method of makinga leather case of the class referred to and also to improve the seams,and preferably the lower corners also if the case has the same, Wherebythe latter is greatly improved in appearance as compared with thoseheretofore produced, and certain other mechanical advantages,hereinafter referred to, are secured.

My improved method of making leather cases is fully set forth in thefollowing description and the novel features thereof are particularlypointed out and defined in the claims at theclose of the description.

In the accompanying drawings: y

Figure l is a plan view of a leather blank from which the improvedeyeglass case herein shown is made.

Figure 2 shows the blank of Fig. l with one end portion thereof foldedback onto the body portion and stitched thereto to form the pouch. y

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one side portion of the pouch shown inFig. 2.

Figure 4 shows, in perspective, the same side after being treated inaccordance with my invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the two dies, hereinafter described, bymeans of which the effect shown in Fig. 4 is secured.

Figure 6 is a section, enlarged, on line fw-w of Fig. 2.

.Figure 7 is a section, enlarged, on line y-Jy of Fig. 5.

Figure 8 illustrates the form and construction of the pouch after beingoperated upon by the dies as in Fig. 7.

Figure 8a is a sectional det-ail hereinafter described. f

Figure 9 is a section on line azzof Fig.

1926. Serial No. 106,918.

5 but with the pouch in position between the dies. f

Figure 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but with the pouch removed. l

In manufacturing eyeglass cases of the class referred to, the practicehas been to produce a leather blank of approximately, but not exactly,the shape and proportions shown in Fig. l; then to fold one end portionl back onto the bod portion 2 along the dot-andV-dash line 4; t en tofasten each side of the portion l to the body portion by lines ofstitches 5 which, however, have heretofore extended in a straight lineacross the portions l and 2 and were not curved as at 6 in Fig. 2, andlastly, to rivet the stud and socket members of a snap fastener 4in theholes 7 and 8, respectively, and the case was completed. In order toguide the operator in making the fold on the line 4 it has heretoforebeen customary to form the blank, Fig. l, with a small'V-shaped notch ateach end of the line 4, but this notch, as heretofore made and used, wasvery smallperhaps one-thirty-second of an inch deepand served no otherpurpose than to guide the operator in making the fold 4, with thevresult that when the case was comy pleted its two walls l and 2 laylatwise against each other throughout their extent, and the cornersatthe bottom of the pouch formed by them were sharp and fiat, the., twonotches referred to being practically invisible and intended to be so.

The objections to this old style case were that its hard, sharp bottomcorners would wear and injure the clothing of the person carrying thecase; the operation of inserting the glasses within the pouch wascomparatively diflicult because ofthe two walls l and 2 lying closetogether; and the raw unfinished side edges of thewalls 1 and 2 adjacentthe stitches and the depth of the flaps outside of the latter, wereunsightly. All of the objections noted characterized eyeglass cases andthe like as heretofore constructed which were of oblong or rectangularshape and made from pliable and comparatively thin leather, which is thetype of case with which my invention is chiefly concerned.

In proceeding in accordance with my invention, the blank shown in Fig. lis madev with V-shaped notches 9 at the opposite ends of the line 4which are much deeper than;

vide blunt or beveled corners 9 andthe linesot stitches 5 are curved attheir lower ends as at 6 so as to follow practically paiallel` with theside edges of the portion 1 throughout its length as shown in Figs. 2and One side ot the pouch thus lormed is then drawn over a iixed maledie l() having a rounded corner forming portion as shown in Fig. 5,after which a second heated ftemale die 11 ot counterpart shape isforcibly applied to the exterior oit the seamed side ot the pouch, tothe corner, and to the bottom portion of the pouch, said dies beingshaped to engage the bot-tom portion of the pouch as shown in Fig. 9 andto engage the side seamed portion as shown in 7 As shown in Fig. 9 theedge of the bottom engaging portion oil' the die 10 is merely shapedwith a plain transversely rounded surface while the cooperating part ofthe die 11 is a plain groove whose surface is parallel with the opposedsurface of the die 10. As shown in Figs. 7 and 10 the sideseam engagingedge ot die 10 is likewise rounded but extending longitudinahy at themiddle ot this edge is a shallow groove l2, Fig. 10.- This groove 12 isdisposed directly Vo osite a shallow n'roove 13 formed longitudinallythroughout the length ot' the sideseam engaging edge or portion oi thedie 11.

f The grooves 12 and 18 are otl uniform depth from their open outer endsup to the beginning of the corner forming curved portions ot the diesfrom which points their depths gradually diminish so that the groovesdisappear or terminate at or near the bottom engaging portions of thedies.

TN hen the pouch oit the case is drawn onto the die 10 the two walls 1and 2, Fig. 6, are spread apart, leaving the two ilaps il and 2 `thatare outside ot stitches 5, projecting perpendicularly outwardlyrelatively to the edge of die 10. New, when the die 11 is forced downonto the seamed side of the pouch the groove 13 first pockets the edgesot the flaps 1 and 2 throughout their lengths thereby preventing themfrom separating, and also troni being displaced sidewise one way or theother. Simultaneously, on the inside of the pouch, the parts 1 and 2adjacent the stitches 5 are bent downV into the groove 12 around theside walls of the latter, thereby preventing those portions fromslipping sidewise apa-rt and breaking the stitches when subjected to thegreatest pressure from the die 11. The result is that the two flaps 1and 2, Fig. 6, are greatly compressed and condensed edgewise withoutinjurious strain upon the stitches, and are molded into a straight bead14- o' unitorin height, Figs. 4l and 8, which at its lower end graduallymerges into the surface of the smooth rounded corner 9b, Fie. 4,produced by the dies, the beveling 9, Fig. 2, preventing the formationof any unsightly folds or wrinkles. At the same time the application ot'the heated metal die 11 to the flaps 1 andi2,givesto the outer edges otthe latter a highlydesirable glazed finished surface, while the t-wodiesco-operate to set and mold the portions of the walls 1 and 2 adjacent,and at each side of?, the seams, as wellk as at the corners of thepouch, into a well rounded shapeY which not only greatly' im roundedcorner 9b, and the latter prevent` ing the parts 1 and 2. from spreadingapart and breaking the stitches when the pressure oi" the dies isapplied;

lt is true that in the' leather working"- art it is common practice tomoldA the ends or sides of leather pouches, bags and the like, butalways, so tar asl know, this oper tivi has been carried out separatelyand inde pendently ot the seam finishing.. 'It is also true that thelseams of articles of the kind herein referred to have been burnished.ironed down and? shaped by means oiV a grooved heated hand tool rubbedagainst thev edges of the flaps 1 and 2, but not onlyhas this been anoperation that was carried out separately also, but bein ga manualoperation carried out progressively alongV the seam, no problem oibreakage of thek stitches was present as in the present case wherotheentire side adj acent the seam, the" corner and the seam throughout itsentireV lengtl are simultaneously molded and finis-hed, requir ing theapplication of such great pressure that, except for the groove 121, thestitcheswould be broken. It will thus be seen thata distinguishingieature oi' my new method consists inV simultaneously compressing andcondensing edewisc and sha eine the flaps' tb C) 3 J9 A 1 and 2 of theseamy throughout their lengths, or a considerable portion thereof, whileholding the twoV members l andh 2 against separating or spreadingapart-under the influence oithe crushingeiiiects imposed on iiaps l and2, so that the stitchesare not broken. It will also be seen that afurther feature ot thev method described above consists in molding to afixed and predetermined shape, the corner and the portions ot the llOmembers l and 2 alongside the seam, simultaneously with the justdescribed condensing, compressing and shaping of the seam flaps l and2fL throughout their lengths.

The shape given to the pouch by the molding operation described above,not only fixes the walls l and 2 permanently in spaced apartrelationship which permits of easy insertion and removal of the glassesasstated above, but it also `provides for the accom-- modation withinthe pouch of a spring metal reinforcing bow frame not shown.

What I claim is: j

l. The method of finishing the seam connecting the marginal portions ofthe walls of a leather case of the character described which consists incompressing the t-wo flaps of the seamedgewise simultaneouslyrthroughout their length and width while they are left free to expandlaterally in the direction of their thickness thereby molding said flapsinto a relatively low finished bead whose opposite sides overlie thestitches of the seam.

2. The method of finishing the seam connecting the marginal portions ofthe walls of a leather case of the character described which consists incompressing the two fiaps of the seam edgewise simultaneously throughouttheir length and width while they are left free to expand laterally inthe direction of their thickness and while the portions of the two wallsat the opposite sides of, and immediately adjacent, the seam are heldagainst displacement away from the seam under pressure applied to theflaps thereby molding said flaps into a relatively low finished beadwhose opposite sides overlie the stitches of the seam.

3. The method of making a leather case of the character describedwhich-consists in compressing the two flaps of the seam edgewisesimultaneously throughout their length and width while they are leftfree to expand laterally in the direction of their thicknesstherebyfmolding said flaps into a relatively low finished bead whoseopposite sides overlie the stitches of the seam, and simultaneouslymolding the two walls to spread apart and fix the portions thereof atopposite sides of the seam, and immediately adjacent the fiaps, inpositions each approximately at right angles to its flap.

4. The method of making a leather case of the character described whichconsists in compressing the two iiaps of the seam edgewisesimultaneously throughout their length and width while they are leftfree to expand laterally in the direction of their thickness therebymolding said flaps into a relatively low nished bead whose oppositesides overlie the stitches of the seam and simulataneously molding thetwo walls to spread apart and fix the portions thereof at opposite sidesof the seam, and immediately adjacent the flaps7 in positions eachapproximately at right angles to its flap and to fix the major bodyportions of said walls in relatively parallel spaced apart relationship.

' 5. The method of making aleather case of the character described whichconsists in compressing the two flaps of each side seam edgewisesimultaneously throughout their length and width while they are leftfree to expand laterallyin the direction of their thickness therebymolding said fiaps into a relatively low finished bead whose oppositesides overlie the stitches of the seam and also simultaneously moldingthe two walls of the pouch in fixed spaced apart and yparallelrelationship with the portions thereof immediately adjacent the seams,each fixed approximately -at right angles to its flaps and with roundedcorners at the bottom of the pouch into which the finished beads aremerged at their lower ends.

G. The method of making a leather case of the character described whichconsists in first producing a leather blank having opposite parallelside edges formed intermediate their lengths with V-shapedfoldindicating and corner-rounding notches; then folding said blank uponitself transversely on a line connecting said notches to provide` twowalls disposed side by side with their edges registering; then securingtogether each pair of side marginal portions of said walls, by a line ofstitches paralleling the adjacent side edges and providing flaps betweensaid line of stitches and said side edges and then compressing each pairof flaps edgewise throughout their lengths and widths and expanding thesame laterallyy in the direction of their thickness thereby constitutinga relatively low finished bead whose opposite sides overlie the stitchesof the seam, while simultaneously fixing the portions of said wallsimmediately adjoining each seam in'positions each approximately` atright angles to its flap.

CARL G. ALDRICH.

